New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Modi and President of the United States Donald Trump appear to be going “head to head” with neither side willing to compromise and, despite Trump shaving off a mere percentage point from the original tariff he threatened against India on the accusation that India has been funding the “Russian war machine”, India is not standing down, The Economist notes.
“Few in India seem in the mood for compromise. In a defiant public address on 2 August, Mr Modi avoided name-checking the American president but urged economic self-reliance at a time of global uncertainty. Anonymous Indian officials are briefing international media on India’s right to Russian oil,” reads the report.
America’s negotiation team is expected to arrive in Delhi, as planned, for the sixth round of talks, scheduled to begin on August 25. “Even so, Ajit Doval, the national security adviser, is due to visit Moscow on 5 August. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, will reportedly follow later this month,” the report says.
An opinion piece in the Chinese mouthpiece Global Times addresses the breakdown of India-US ties, calling it more than a “trade spat”. Instead, it refers to the current “diplomatic chill” as a “clash between economic hegemony and strategic autonomy”.
“Some Indians are beginning to see clearly: what they once believed to be a special relationship was nothing more than a one-sided illusion, and that relying on a hegemon who readily wields the stick and prefers coercion over dialogue can never bring true security or room to grow,” says the article, grimly.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will likely hold “several meetings” with Russian officials and “clarify” India’s strategy on oil imports, reports The Moscow Times.
“India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will also reportedly visit Russia sometime later this month,” says the report. “India has refrained from sanctioning Russian oil since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and it has now become the second-largest buyer of Russian crude after China.”
In its ‘Newsletter DealBook’ section, The New York Times says that Trump aims to “remap” trade through his tariff blitz. While India has “lashed back” by referring to the US President’s latest statement as “unjustified and unreasonable,” Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter is flying to the US to offer Trump a more “attractive” offer.
“With fewer than 48 hours to go before Trump’s latest tariff deadline, his plan could be tested by holdout trading partners, including India, with whom relations appear to have worsened since Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit in April,” adds the NYT.
Pakistan finalising a trade agreement with the US before India “underscored just how badly India has misplayed its hand”, writes Maya Prakash in an opinion article for The Washington Post.
“The original sin stems from the end of fighting between India and Pakistan in May, a welcome development that Trump claimed full credit for. Modi has repeatedly said that India’s ceasefire decision was made without foreign influence—without mentioning Trump. That omission, along with India’s refusal to halt Russian oil purchases—despite US pressure—has hardened Trump’s stance,” reads the article. “Contrast that with Pakistan’s brazen diplomatic flattery, which included nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Krishn Kaushik and Chris Kay report in the Financial Times that the Reserve Bank of India has “held its key interest rate” even as Trump’s tariffs could send the economy into “turmoil”.
According to the report, RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra said Wednesday that the central bank decided to hold the rate as “the uncertainties of tariffs are still evolving, monetary policy transmission is still continuing [and] the impact of the 100 basis-point rate cut since February 2025 on the broader economy is still unfolding”.
The Guardian reports on the devastating flash floods in Uttarkashi, which have left nearly a hundred people missing.
In the night, “heavy rain continued to fall and access remained challenging, as several key roads had washed away,” hampering rescue efforts. Rivers across Uttarakhand were flowing above the danger mark on Wednesday, sparking concerns of further landslides and disasters in the area,” says the report.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: Global media dissects fractures in India-US ties & New Delhi’s ‘great-power delusions’